Rev. Noah Benedict House (1760)

The house at 256 Main Street South in Woodbury was built in 1760-1763 by Rev. Noah Benedict (1737-1813), who served as the third minister of Woodbury’s First Congregational Church from 1760 to 1813. He dug and stoned the well with his own hands. Rev. Benedict built another house for his son nearby in 1795 and his own home was occupied by his widow until her death in 1861. The house then passed to Nathaniel Benedict Smith, son of Rev. Benedict’s only daughter, Ruth. It was acquired in 1874 by George Crane, who sold it to Charles Harvey in 1888. The house, originally a saltbox, has been much altered over the years, with chimneys replaced and eventually removed.